ISLAMABAD: National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) has prepared four year (2021-24) transmission system constraints removal plan at a cost of Rs 12.66 billion, sources close to MD NTDC told Business Recorder.
Of the total Rs 12.66 billion plan Rs 8.753 billion will be contributed by donor agencies, whereas NTDC will arrange Rs 3.845 billion from its own resources.
National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) time and again criticised NDTC/NPCC for not removing system constraints - burden of which is being passed on to the consumers.
Sharing the details, sources said, over the years, sufficient generation capacity has been added to the National Electricity system. As of now annual dependable generation capacity in the system is 33,500MW, including l0 percent spinning reserve. Despite above capability, the national system has not been able to transmit the full generated power through the network due to certain network system technical constraints.
Efforts have been made to remove such constraints from the power transmission network and add capacity to the system. The tested peak transmission capability of the national grid system during the recent years is as follows: (i) August 2017- recorded load supplied was 19,070 MW; (ii) July 2018, 20, 811 MW; (iii) September 2019, 22,696 MW; (iv) July 2020, 23,474 MW; and (v) August 2021, 24,564 MW.
Besides NTDC HV transmission network, the national grid delivery system has also been experiencing shortfall due to additional constraints in the distribution networks of Discos. The prevailing National Grid system constraints can broadly be classified into following three categories: (i) overloading of 50OKV/220KV/l32KV transformers; (ii) overloading of Extra High Voltage (EHY) transmission lines; and (iii) low voltage profile at grid stations, linked to distribution networks.
In order to remove present transmission system constraints and to add capacity to cater for future load demand, NTDC has developed and started implementation of a twin-phase System Constraints Removal Plan (TSCRP) 2021-24.
The salient features of the plan are:
First Phase: Summer 2022: (i) the three-year plan has been designed in two phases - the first phase with the plan horizon July 2021 to June 2022 envisions to cater to the immediate needs. It includes completion of ongoing transmission projects (Dew grid stations, and associated transmission lines); (ii) NTDC Emergency Management Plan through internal arrangement and own resources i.e. addition /augmentations of 500/220 kV and 220/132 kV transformer at the existing grid stations and rehabilitation of 220 kV transmission lines; (iii) NTDC projects shall result in elimination of system constraints in NTDC network and increase the capability of national grid system in the range of 2000 MW. Moreover, these NTDC projects shall also result in the reduction of expensive RFO based generation dispatch in the load centres.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021